St. Valentine’s Day Trivia Quiz

Ready for a little Valentine trivia? See if you can answer these fun trivia questions about St. Valentine’s Day and the old pagan rituals from which it evolved.

Take the Valentine’s Day Trivia Quiz

The Sweet History of Valentine’s Day Conversation Candy Hearts

These cutesy conversation candy hearts have been around for more than a century — take a look at the cool history, some of our favorite candy heart sayings, and a fun Valentine’s Day gift to make with the colorful candy.

by Holly D’Anna

The Story Behind Conversation Candy HeartsThe sweet candy hearts that fill up store aisles and candy dishes in early February got their start around the time of the Civil War. The original candies, called cockles, were made from sugar and flour and contained mottoes or sayings, which were printed on thin paper and rolled up inside the folded, shell-shape candy.Daniel Chase, the brother of the New England Confectionery Company (NECCO) founder, began printing sayings on NECCO candy in the 1860s. The candy became popular at weddings, where sayings such as “Married in satin, love will not be lasting” and “Married in white, you have chosen right” foretold humorous prophecies of the new marriage.The conversation candy hearts that we know today date back to 1902, when the company printed sayings on candy shapes including postcards, baseballs, horseshoes, and watches. The sayings are updated every year and the hearts have been used in creative crafts, cake decorations, cute Valentine’s Day gifts, and — sweetest of all — marriage proposals.

Fun Facts About Candy Hearts

• The New England Confectionery Company (NECCO) makes more than 8 billion candy hearts every year to keep up with the demand for the sweet treat.
• Every day from late February through mid-January, around 100,000 pounds of conversation candy hearts are made.
• The entire amount produced during this time sells out in six weeks. Candy hearts are the best-selling Valentine’s Day candy.
• In 2010, for the first time in 145 years, the company discarded all of the sayings for the conversation hearts and created a new line with expressions selected by the public.
• The most popular new sayings for conversation candy hearts are “Tweet Me,” “Text Me,” “You Rock,” “Love Bug,” “Soul Mate,” and “Me + You.”
• In order to get the old sayings, you can have them custom made — but you’ll have to buy a full production run (1.7 million candy hearts!).

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President’s Day Trivia

Do you know…..?

1. What United States president reportedly swam nude in the Potomac River every day, weather-permitting?

2. Who was the first President born in the United States?

3. The United States was debt-free during this president’s term.  Who was he?

4. Which President was a bachelor during his term?

5. Which President died of pneumonia after just 31 days as President?

6. Who was the shortest President at 5’4″?

7. Name 3 Presidents who died on July 4?   Bonus Question:  Name the 2 out of the 3 Presidents that died the same day, same year within hours of each other.

8. Which President was offered a degree from a university but turned it down since he could not read Latin.  He was quoted as saying, “No one should have a degree they can’t read.”  Who was he?